Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-03-21
SOCIAL PURITY.
The Metropolitan Crowded Last Night to
Hear the Temperance Lecture.

/
The Metropolitan Crowded Last Night to
Hear the Temperance Lecture.
Yesterday afternoon at the Metropolitan
Theater r. T. Booth, according to an
nouncement, lecured on Social Purity to
a large audience of men only. Admission
was by ticket only, and boys under 10 were
not admitted. Mr. Booth handled his deli
cate subject in a mastery way, and IN
plain but elevated strain sought to stlmu-
late his hearers to purer and more manly
life. twas wholesome talk, such as would
elevate all who would profit by II.
In the evening probably more people
were at gospel services in Sacramento than
in years before. The theater was thronged,
seats and standing room, three-quarters OF
an hour before the time of service, and the
hundreds who were turned away filled to
OVERLOOKING all of the downtown churches
which were open, as were all the churches
of the city. The choir opened as usual
with song; Rev. Mr.. Merrill read the
scriptures and Rev. Mr.. Filben made the
opening prayer. Mr.. Booth, IN opening,
announced that
THE MEETING OF MONDAY NIGHT
Would be held in the Congregational
Church, the theater being occupied for that
night his subject. " Moderate Drinking"
and "What know about Wine-producing
Countries Abroad" He said the address
would have something in it for the little
drop " people, and he would explode the
common fallacy that wine countries were
the soberest countries, with some startling
facts of his own observation. The subject
for Tuesday night, Who is to Blame"
He said he was gratified with the num-
Der of blue ribbons worn on the streets
there were upwards of 800 taken, and he
was pleased to see them so generally worn.
Proceeding to his address, he said:
" Prevention is better than cure, it is better
vastly to form the mind than to reform the
men. In New Zealand they are so infested
with venomous snakes that the Govern
ment provides colored charts of these rep
tiles, with the antidotes for their bites, and
they may be found on every wall, and chill
dren from the cradle know the snakes of
the land. Yet while seventy are destroyed
by drink for every one destroyed by the
bite of a snake, that Government does abso-
lutely nothing to protect its citizens from
this. l am glad that in a little while there
is to be text-b book in the hand of every
child of this State informing that child of
the nature and effect of alcohol. School
culture, home culture, is incomplete that
does not include this.
MANY ARE HERE TONIGHT,
Thinking that along the line of this work
is the solution of the problem that confronts
US everywhere. 1t is. Prohibition for the
State and total abstinence for the indiyid-
ual is the only solution for the problem.
Men criticise the use of sentiment in a mat
ter like this, and plead for the use of reason
-,
that man never reasons of his debaucheries
till they have been committed; then what
is the use of the you shall not of reason
when 10000 itching nerves cry you
shall?' The only profitable time to reason
is before a man has fallen into vice. When
he has so fallen there is need of a mightier
power. l am glad there is such a power,
such power in the world as Almighty
God to take man when he has fallen low
and lift him up. You know something of
the power of natural forces-the power that
rests in the earthquake and the storm but
there is greater power in the Gospel that
takes man sunken into the depths of in
EQUITY and lifts him up to righteousness. |
can show you this work everywhere-this
work that is proof of this power. l never
argue with any man as to the existence of
Almighty God; l simply bring forth the
His work. l never argue with an infidel,
but simply tell my story, how began with
a single drop of the drink and continued
till | was possessed OF
A PASSION THAT NOTHING WOULD SATISFY,
Till l would take my last penny to buy
what expected would satisfy, but did not,
and that by the power of God have gotten
where the passion is gone simply this.
mis- N
ham, made statement like this, and the
next night | received letter, which said:
Last night when l heard you tell your
story was and had been all my life an in
fidel, and had done all could to scatter the
seeds of infidelity, but after hearing your
statement that you never argued with any
one as to Almighty God, went from the
place and fell on my knees and asked God,
if there was God to pardon my sins, and
light came, and spent all the night burn
ing my infidel books As read the letter
a gray and trembling man had risen, facing
that audience of thousands, and cried,
am that man. This is the power of God.
the power of his gospel. ! now come to
YOU in this work because | believe that
THE GOSPEL APPEALS TO YOUR BEST sENTI-
MENTs
And your deepest hearts respond to the
worlds Redeemer, VINO Is the center OF TINS
movement. | am astonished at the indif-
ference of some of you. l am astonished
that some of you will keep wine on your
tables and your sideboards, and before your
children, wine that has destroyed thou
sands, saying. perhaps, We can use
little wine and it will not hurt our chill
dren.' But your very use of it seals your
lips to your children. How can you say to
vour children that liauor is q big goblin
that brings all misery in its wake, that
brings the man who INDUCES it to the edge
of his grave and then kicks him in, and
wind up your Grafton by goblin down the
goblin ? How can you tell them of what
you drink before them ''at the last it biteth
like serpent and stingeth like an adder
Sweep it from your board give it wholly
up" After the address the usual opportun
ity to sign the pledge and take the ribbon
vas given, and So pledges were signed and
Isl blue ribbons taken.